Pneumatic suspension means for vehicles



May 10, 1949. R, GoulRAND PEUMATIG SUSPENSION MEANS FOR VEHICLES FilledMarch 2, 1945 IN VEN TOR.

Patented May 1o, 1949 2,469,962

UNITED' PATENT Q-FHEE Mild! 2. MyW-Nn. 5805855 301m. (Gl. 267-11) l aThis invention. mmf in www menuw. uur auch inperking am mountains 51pzum means :n: was mmnnmlnwthuahisw. arma om: -m um om ways. this -ms an@mons www motor swim In@ 1 4;- rlarssly deuendennnpm #hamm me veuuuunstra41m Mmmm we mes-@sims- Memwhimhe'mtem isY to renamed. was mwhih'nbamennnxdw-wi @mail s Atri is sham a, mnensmna Ame aai925. and: $2.598mm3. 1 36, that bhe same onnslsts o; asiqg :n m a. :ma t5 l# s mmm-asvlmdzil umbral' partisan pneumatic suspension means wherein th.- metmthmamal Mes It whim am secured by the uw weh-lola navidad-with tm mm!!i5 wd, am :bolts IB ne ansumndms milan# mamme hmm nip-wad s which:domaiend membm n and :Je or me mins. mckalhwhumhimnmtmw 'inmped betweenthe langes and-n aref-,me

mmvin im #am wir the ,tmhe ma n! wher on an Mmmm; :mu im.

t -Jsne mim. mamar nir whim pm mai that proved structure; 2 id 3 4conxosipiuemveuisedsoiedtosest Plug enezsareensnoeooonstnevemeieuuieovalveilis secmedonatubularstem il having ready tosoperatiItwillbeunderstoodthat its interior passage 5l extending through theeither set oi' cushions may be iniiated independ- Plue'velve il andcommunicatina with a chamber ently ci the other set. That is to say, byshutting the pipe ID enters. Acxible diaphragm 51 aidvalves 26 and 2B toremain open, the air will ing in normally holding the valve I4 on itsseat non' into the lower cushions only. Also by closis secured to thestem Il of the valve hy a stop ing valve 2B and allowing valves i0 andIB 'to onthes'temlandbywhichtheeentralpart remsinopem theehwillow intothe upper of the diaphragm I'I isclamped between said nut lo eusmonsonly, and the hud? 54 ol the plus vulve The mehr When shock isencountered hy a wheel, say for ainsi edge portion oi the diaphragm i1is clamped example that located adiaoent to the pair ot air between thecasing or housing il and a threadcushions shown at I and 8. the shockwill be on domed cap member 6l,havtng acentral openimposed upon ein;ums@ cushion s and the air ins in which an adiustins nut G0 isihreadubly l5 therein will be oo. causing some of it received,4 said nut6l having a central tonow'into the central compartment orohamberthroughy which the tubular stem itis slidblo Il. oi* the compensatingdevice. This will cause upon opening und closing movements of thepli-liz the tlexlble diaphrams 4i and I2 to be spread valve Il. apart.thus foroingsome o! the air in the chem- A ooil spring 6l ls locatedbetween the Wutgo bers 4I and li into the lower cushions. the .ng nut 8land the Stop 58 so that by' ddiutvehicle -body bends to. rebound becauseof the Vment: of the nui 80 the compression of the spring elasticity ofhe on in ehe cushion, the more 6i may be controlled to regulate theopening 1n me upper cushion will bed om. thug aioi' the `valve M underpredetermined air premuto lowing che air te'slowly return into the upperto thus establish communication betwist-inA the 26 cushion from thelower cushion until the prcspassages 5l andll.. .Located in the posso-se55 eures in said cushions-are equalized. The slowextending through thetubular stem i6.'- is a valve leek cheek valves permit the slow returnnew or core Bia of the Schrader orother equivalnt re the displaced airso that violent rebound is type. It will be noted that passage ilconnects. gooide@ through a slow-leek cheek volvo l! evening lo soThrough the arrangement disclosed. i: wm be -ehown by the arrow locatedadjacent t0 il in clear that the imposition or on on any the drawing. toa .mbe oiconduii I3 which one 1oi' the air cushions will causedisplacement leads into the upper air cushion l. while P9858@ of some ofthe air in the compressa cushion 52 connects through a slow-leak checkvalve l2 Vtc, shift t te the communs m he opening as shown by the arrowplaced adjacent 35 Ing device o which the. compressed mman is to it inthe drawing, to a tube .or conduit i5 i which leads into. the secondupper all cushion' one or the other. or on both ot the diophra gms orthat shown ati. will result in the air on the opposite side oi the Thestem I6 connects to a tube or conduit Il 'diaphragm that s nexed, tolag-famed com the which extends to .the tube Il. with the hind 40companion cushion of that which was comvalve i8 es well as a pressurerelief valvell :mm-andthe resultant 31W mmm ofthdis- `located betweenthe point of connection oi' the placed au through the swwqeak heckvalves whe i1 to the Stem l5 nd the mnnin 0f will restore equal pressurein all of the cushions "tube I' to the tube 25. the latter connection 0fmut violent mbt-,un

me tube i1 to the tube 2i beine between the W0 io By me employment oiuexible dia in hand valves 2li and 28. A Pressure sauge 2 is ,a closedcompensating chamber-,the useof pistons connected by the tube I9 to thetube Il'. and or other sliding means is dispensed with, and the oPressure relief valve 21 is valso 106m in the wear and pomlity oi.'incidental to suoli tube 25 at the point indicated. sliding elements isavoided. Through the ar- From the Moeder. the @mm1 0f le im 5 rangementoi the hosevsxves in the pipe unes. ture thus far described will bemail! undermodthe upper and lower air cushions can he inwhen it :sdesired t0 fmt@ an 0f the 811 cushions dependently anmmled. or m theevent of leakage to the required pressure. houd Wives f3. N Nid or apuncture in one sot of cushions the other 28' are opened and the 911'will 50W fmm *he `setwillremainunaireuted supply (im 2 'thlollh tub :sand tubes 22 55 Whjle I have shown'an embodiment of my 1n..

one :s and thmush the slow-leek check valves vonuon. it s obvious ons:me same n not to be a and a and through the tubes i end l wml reenactedthereto but is broad enough io cover the air cushions I and 2 to therequired preme all ,structures coming within the scope oi the as weil asfill the chambers I3 and l5 of the annexed claims,

compensator. All' will also How through tube gmxglmmis; 25 and throughtube I1 and thus thmuh the l. In a pneumatic suspension means forvehistem I6 and also through the plus valve 54 which cles, a pair ofupper air cushions. 4e, pair of lower e closed ai: this time end remains1 0-'ed "um encushions. s compensating device including suiilcientpressure builds up in G11-umher 4. t0 `a chamber divided into threecompartments by an extent necessary to overcome the torce of 65.3 pan.of spaced nexible diaphragme' the two spring 6I. whereupon t511B Vlve 54Will Open and upper cushions being connected by conduit means establishcommunication between passages ll and um, the um one of the threecompu-men@ s: esa snow the an to theo now through the eeen of the 1owercusmons being connected by tubes I4 and I6 to ll the air cushions 3 and4 conduit means into one of the other twg com. to the required pressure.The valve I4 then re- 1o pal-ments, whereby an expulsion of anin hemeins open and stays open as lons as the presopper cushions will expendthe side wens or the sure is sumcient to overcome the spring 3L centralcompartment to cause aixin the two When the cushions have been inilatedto the other compartments to be forced therefrom toiequlred pressure asindicated by the gauge 20. Vwurd and' into the lower cushions, valvemeans -in the manner described. the hand valves Il. 1B' 75 loi-,atedbetween the lower comen, and the compartments to which said lowercushions are connected for causing slow return flow of said air intosaid compartments, and a valve located between the central compartmentand the two upper cushions for causing equalization of pressure in saidtwo cushions.

2. In a pneumatic suspension means for vehicles, a pair of upperair-lled cushions adapted for connection to a chassis frame, a pair oflower air-lled cushions adapted for connection to the running gear, acompensating chamber consisting of a casing divided into a group ofseparate compartments by flexible walls. the upper cushions beingconnected into the central compartment, the lower cushions being eachconnected into an end compartment, the latter compartments beingseparated from the central compartment by said flexible walls whereby acompression of air in the central compartment hy pressure on the uppercushions will cause flexure of said flexible walls and cause said wallsto displace air from the end compartments. and valve means in theconnections to the lower cushions through which said displaced air willrapidly pass when said walls are flexed and through which said air willslowly return to the compartments from which it was displaced.

3. In a pneumatic suspension means, a pair of upper and a pair of lowerair cushions, a cornpensator consisting of a casing divided into aplurality of compartments by flexible diaphragms, conduits between oneof the compartments and the two upper air cushions, conduits betweeneach lower air cushion and compartments located respectlvely at oppositesides of the compartment to which the upper air cushions are connected,

whereby a compression of either of the upper air cushions will cause adisplacement of some of the air from its interior into the compartmentto which said cushion is connected, the increase of air in saidcompartment causing flexure of the diaphragm between it and an adjacentcompartment to cause a displacement of air from the latter compartmentto the lower cushion to which said compartment is connected, astabilizer valve connected into the compartment to which the two upperair cushions are connected, said valve including a passage connectingthe two upper cushions, a valve seat in said passage, a valve headseating against said seat to shut off cornmunicaticn between the twoupper cushions, and means for holding said valve head in seated position when air pressure in said adjacent compartment is below apredetermined level.

RENE GOUIRAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,003,511 Mercier June 4, 19352,042,596 Gouirand June 2, 1936 2,113,071 Allen Apr. 5, 1938 2,115,159Dupuy et al Apr. 26, 1938 2,290,337 Knauth July 21, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 810,925 France Jan. 9, 1937

